Volunteer for a startup bringing Africa's informal economy online through the power of community and AI! 🌍📱

Afro Ubuntu TradeNet connects African informal traders to opportunities, markets, and credit through AI-powered technology.

The African informal economy forms a massive foundation for the continent's financial landscape, yet its traders remain largely unconnected, unbanked, and underserved. Operating at the edge of the formal economy, millions of micro-entrepreneurs lack the credit visibility, trade intelligence, and verified transaction histories required to attract investment or scale their businesses. Because their daily trade operations are entirely offline and fragmented, it is incredibly difficult to unlock cross-border trade corridors, leaving small-scale traders cut off from larger global markets and fair economic opportunities.

Afro Ubuntu TradeNet addresses this isolation by deploying an AI-powered B2B digital platform designed to bring Africa’s informal market online and bridge the gap to global trade. Guided by the African philosophy of Ubuntu ("I am because we are"), the platform integrates directly with WhatsApp, meeting traders on the everyday communication tool they already use. By safely digitizing transactions, Afro Ubuntu TradeNet builds systemic trust, accelerates trade intelligence, and establishes vital credit visibility for historically marginalized business owners. This seamless, data-first technology infrastructure removes geographic barriers, connects informal micro-entrepreneurs to fairer markets, and fuels sustainable grassroots entrepreneurship across the continent.

Role (Volunteer, unpaid): Technology & Product Innovation Lead

Role Description: We are looking for a technically minded individual who is passionate about using technology to solve real-world challenges across African markets.

Working directly with the Founder, you will help guide product development, support technical delivery, and contribute to the evolution of our AI-enabled platform.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence technology decisions within an early-stage venture focused on economic inclusion and trade innovation.

Responsibilities

• Support product roadmap planning and prioritisation
• Contribute to platform architecture and technical strategy
• Assist with AI, data, automation, and workflow opportunities
• Support testing and refinement of MVP/pilot functionality
• Identify opportunities to improve scalability, reliability, and user experience
• Work with operational teams to translate user feedback into product improvements
• Support technical documentation and development planning

Ideal Candidate

• Background in software development, product management, data science, AI, or technology consulting
• Experience with cloud platforms, APIs, data systems, or AI tools
• Comfortable working in startup environments with evolving requirements
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
• Passion for technology-for-good and emerging markets

What You'll Gain

• Direct exposure to startup product and technology strategy
• Opportunity to shape an AI-enabled platform from an early stage
• Experience working on real-world challenges in African trade ecosystems
• Strong professional reference and potential future opportunities

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Python
• AI/LLM technologies
• Data analytics
• Product management
• Low-code automation tools (e.g. N8N, Make, Zapier)
• Mobile-first or WhatsApp-based solutions

Time Commitment: Volunteer 7-9 hours per week for 6+ months remotely 💻

If you want to make change happen, apply to volunteer with Afro Ubuntu TradeNet now!